lanyard wrote:Isn't the presence of muskies typically the reason spearing isn't allowed?
And if we're not spearing muskies, won't their population respond to take advantage of the increased bio availability for carrying capacity?
Carrying capacity, interesting question.
I have no issue with muskies, smallmouth or pike. They have a place in the lake just like the walleye. When you look at the lake as a whole and try to manage it as a whole, the lakes main draw fishermen hour wise, is a no brainer. The amount of man hours spent on this lake for muskies, trophy pike and smallies is a laughable drop in the turd bucket, compared to the pursuit of boots swimming around the bottom grabbing leeches on lindy's and under corks.
I like to fish smallies and haven't kept one in 20+ years. The idea that keeping smallies or pike is going to restore the lake is even funnier than the muskie or smallmouth guys that regularly fish the lake really thinking they have a say in how the lake is going to be managed in the future vs the walleye guys.
To argue spearing is going to kill the lake as a trophy pike fishery is ironic, considering the gigantic amount of fishing pressure the trophy pike get in the lake? Walleye guys don't like the pike and neither do the smallie or muskie guys, ironic. And let's face it, there's no pike association like BASS or Muskies Inc, so good luck protecting the lake from spearing. I'd bet there's more carp taken out of a lake and it does a lake as big as mille lacs better to have guys out sticking pitch forks into a few carp, than it does any harm to a pike population that nobody really cares about anyways. Peoples own pike management has been so piss poor over the years, it is amazing they aren't considered a rough fish anyways. Lets face it, if it wasn't for muskie guys wetting themselves over a stray red fin getting stuck with a spear, they could care less what happens to any fish other than their holy grail all mighty muskellunge.
